Alabama Crimson Tide: Taveze Calhoun

Editor's note: We’re taking steps to get you ready for every one of Alabama's regular-season opponents. Each Friday we'll go through a different week of the schedule, starting with the season-opener against West Virginia and closing with the finale against Auburn. Up this week: Nov. 15 vs. Mississippi State.

The rundown: Mississippi State2013 overall record: 7-6
2013 SEC record: 3-5, fifth in the West Division
Record all time against Alabama: 17-78-3
Last meeting vs. Alabama: Lost 20-7 in 2013

What they're saying:“We ask, who can score? Dak [Prescott] can’t score. He can score inside the 5, but that means we have to get the ball all the way down inside the 5. But in the SEC, who can score? ... Who in the field can make you miss, take a 5-yard play and turn it into a 50-yard play? That’s important to us,” Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said.

Three things to watch:

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1. Targeting playmakers: Go back and re-read the aforementioned quote from Mullen. Because, in a sense, it’s what’s been nagging his program for quite some time. Mullen has produced efficient offenses and good running games, but never has he truly featured playmakers on the outside. With all due respect to Chad Bumphis, he didn’t scare a defense. That’s what Mississippi State needs -- now. Prescott has the skills at quarterback, but he’ll need help. Lewis needs to make his senior year count and realize his big-play potential; De'Runnya Wilson has to take a step forward as a sophomore and be the over-the-top threat he can be at 6-foot-5; and a wild card like Brandon Holloway must be someone defenses have to keep track of, whether it’s at running back or receiver.

2. An underrated defense: If you don’t know the names of McKinney, Jones and Taveze Calhoun by now, you really should. The three get lost in the shuffle in Starkville, but they’re as talented a linebacker, defensive end and cornerback as you’ll find in this league. Coordinator Geoff Collins has quietly assembled an impressive defense that features depth at every position. McKinney is arguably the best linebacker in the SEC, and he has a solid sidekick in Beniquez Brown. The same goes for Calhoun, who along with Love gives Collins a solid one-two punch at corner. And Jones, who is one of the most promising defensive linemen in all of college football, doesn’t have to do it on his own either with veterans Kaleb Eulls and Preston Smith slated to start.

3. Schedule conundrum: Last year’s schedule really did Mississippi State in. The Bulldogs were young to start with, and then they had to face Oklahoma State and Auburn in the first three weeks of the season. Drawing South Carolina from the East was an even bigger helping of bad luck. But this season will be much different with nonconference cupcakes Southern Miss, UAB, South Alabama and UT-Martin. And those dreaded East Division swing games? Lowly Kentucky and Vanderbilt. In fact, the pendulum has swung so far the other direction it’s fair to ask whether Mississippi State will have seen enough quality competition by the time it reaches the home stretch when it faces Alabama and Ole Miss in the final three weeks of the season.

Picking the top cornerback in the SEC was an easy call. But after that, it gets tricky.

Here's how we would rank the top-10 cornerbacks in the league for the 2014 season:

1. Vernon Hargreaves III, So., Florida: Much of the spotlight heading into last season was on Loucheiz Purifoy and Marcus Roberson, but Hargreaves wound up being the Gators' best cornerback. The 5-11, 194-pound Hargreaves was a third-team Associated Press All-American as a true freshman and can do it all. He's the next great cornerback to come out of this league.

Stacy Revere/Getty ImagesAfter a stellar freshman season, Tre'Davious White is only going to get better for LSU.

2. Taveze Calhoun, RJr., Mississippi State: Another guy who can do a little bit of everything from his cornerback position, the 6-1, 184-pound Calhoun had 45 total tackles last season and tied for second on the team with three interceptions. Calhoun is long and rangy and cut from the same mold as former Mississippi State Jim Thorpe Award winner Johnthan Banks.

3. Tre'Davious White, So., LSU: One of two true freshman cornerbacks for the Tigers last season, the 5-11, 177-pound White certainly didn't play like a freshman. He had 55 total tackles and led the team with nine passes defended. His best football is yet to come, and he has the skills, confidence and smarts to be the kind of shut-down corner we're used to seeing on the Bayou.

4. Deshazor Everett, Sr., Texas A&M: The Aggies' defensive numbers a year ago were ugly, and it's no secret that they struggled mightily in the secondary. Even so, the 6-foot, 188-pound Everett returns as one of the top defensive backs in the league. He rotated between corner and safety last season and racked up a career-high 68 tackles. The Aggies will lean heavily on his experience in 2014.

5. Rashard Robinson, So., LSU: The hard part is figuring out which of LSU's two rising sophomores has the brightest future. The 6-1, 170-pound Robinson has more length than White, but didn't put up quite the numbers a year ago after getting off to a late start. He wasn't cleared academically until the week of the opener. He blossomed toward the end of the season and was terrific in helping to shut down Texas A&M receiver Mike Evans in the win over the Aggies.

6. Cam Sutton, So., Tennessee: There weren't a ton of bright spots on defense last season for Tennessee, but the 6-1, 180-pound Sutton was one of them. He started all 12 games as a true freshman and seemed to have a nose for the ball. He led the team with nine passes defended, had four tackles for loss, returned an interception for a touchdown and recovered two fumbles.

7. Jamerson Love, RSr., Mississippi State: The 5-10, 175-pound Love hits as well as he covers and teams with Calhoun to give the Bulldogs one of the better cornerback tandems in the league. Love led the team with 10 passes defended last season and tied for second with three interceptions. He has exceptional quickness.

8. Damian Swann, Sr., Georgia: The Bulldogs are hoping that the sophomore version of Swann shows up this season. He led the team with four interceptions in 2012 and was one of the Dawgs' most improved players. But last season, he battled consistency problems. With so much attrition at cornerback, the Dawgs need a big senior season out of the 5-11, 178-pound Swann.

9. Jonathon Mincy, RSr. Auburn: A starter for parts of the past three seasons, the 5-10, 196-pound Mincy is set to move to the boundary cornerback position in 2014, which was manned last season by Chris Davis. Mincy broke up 14 passes last season at field cornerback. He has 26 career starts under his belt, and the Tigers need him to be a rock back there this season.

10. Tony Brown, Fr., Alabama: The Tide had their ups and downs at cornerback last season, which is why they went out and got a five-star player like Brown they felt like could come in and play right away. He looked the part this spring after enrolling early and has the size (6-0, 190 pounds), cover skills and awareness to be a difference-maker as a freshman.

Today, we continue our break down of each position group in the SEC by looking at an area of defense that has a lot to prove after last season.

We’re talking, of course, about the secondaries.

Maybe it was that they were young and inexperienced. Maybe it was a case of so many quarterbacks being the opposite. But whatever it was, the league’s defensive backs should have a chip on their shoulder after the beating they took in 2013.

With that said, let’s dig into which programs are poised to rebound and sport the best secondaries in the league.

1. Ole Miss: Talent and experience. Both are worth their weight in gold, and Ole Miss has loads of each. We’re probably not giving anything away when we say that both Cody Prewitt and Tony Conner will make the list of the league’s top 10 safeties later today. Prewitt led the league in interceptions last season, and Conner, a former four-star recruit, has barely scratched the surface on what he can do. Trae Elston and Senquez Golson, meanwhile, are potential impact players, along with Mike Hilton and Derrick Jones. If C.J. Hampton lives up to the hype, he could be a true freshman to keep an eye on.

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3. LSU: Getting Jalen Mills to safety would have been huge. But with his status up in the air, LSU must move on. It's still DBU -- Defensive Back University -- and thankfully for coach Les Miles, he’s got plenty more to work with. Ronald Martin has experience at safety, along with Corey Thompson, who missed the spring with an injury. At corner, LSU is in good shape with Tre'Davious White and Rashard Robinson in position to start, not to mention Jalen Collins, a former Freshman All-SEC choice in 2012. And since this is LSU and someone always emerges from nowhere, be sure to keep an eye on Jamal Adams. The former No. 2-rated safety in the ESPN 300 didn't enroll early but should have every chance to play as a true freshman. If Mills is able to return and some the young talent on LSU's roster develops as expected, the Tigers could have an argument for the top secondary in the league.

5. Mississippi State: Dan Mullen loves his defense heading into this season, and considering what he has at defensive back it’s easy to see why. The Bulldogs are in the enviable position of having five legitimate SEC-caliber players at both safety and cornerback. Jamerson Love and Taveze Calhoun are two rock-solid corners, and Will Redmond is a good third off the bench. Kendrick Market and Deontay Evans might start at safety today, but Jay Hughes is back from injury and Justin Cox could very well be the most talented of the bunch after transitioning from corner this spring.

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6. Auburn: The Tigers secondary was atrocious for most of last season, surrendering 260.2 passing yards per game through Jan. 1 (No. 104 nationally). Really, it wasn’t until the BCS title game that we saw some fight out of them. So was that first half against Florida State a mirage or a glimpse of the future? Defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson has to hope it’s the latter. With Jonathon Mincy at corner, Jermaine Whitehead at safety and Robenson Therezie playing the star, he’s got some experienced parts to build around. Meanwhile, juco transfer Derrick Moncrief has the look of an impact player at safety. If Joshua Holsey is back to 100 percent, Johnson will have a better deck of cards to play with than last season.

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7. Georgia: The good news is that the two main culprits from last season’s heartbreaking loss to Auburn -- Tray Matthews and Josh Harvey-Clemons -- are gone. The bad news is that those same players were expected to start this season. Throw in the loss of Shaq Wiggins and you’re looking at Georgia, under new defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, essentially starting over in the secondary. It’s not all bad, though. There might not be much depth at cornerback, but veteran Damian Swann is a good place to start. And the same can be said of safety, where Corey Moore and Quincy Mauger have some experience.

8. Tennessee: The Volunteers have one of the deeper secondaries in the SEC, returning all four starters, but it’s a group that received its fair share of criticism last season after giving up 283 yards per game. There’s still talent back there, though, with safety Brian Randolph and cornerback Cameron Sutton. In particular, Randolph led the team in interceptions (4) and finished second in tackles (75), and though he missed the majority of spring due to injury, he’s expected back for fall camp. At cornerback, freshman Emmanuel Moseley arrived in January and could make a push for playing time after a strong spring.

9. South Carolina: You have to fear the unknown if you’re a Gamecocks fan. Brison Williams is a solid safety, but both of your starting corners from last season -- Victor Hampton and Jimmy Legree -- are gone, and the senior you expected to be starting by now, Kadetrix Marcus, is trailing sophomore Chaz Elder on the depth chart. Rico McWilliams, the corner with the most returning experience, isn’t even a sure thing to start. A redshirt freshman, Ali Groves, is in line to start at the second cornerback spot, but keep an eye on two talented true freshmen who could play early: Wesley Green and Chris Lammons.

10. Texas A&M: The Aggies return plenty of experience in the secondary this season. That's good in the sense that they have a defensive backfield with a lot of SEC football under its belt but make no mistake, this unit has a lot of room for improvement. Cornerback Deshazor Everett is the best player of the group and could be headed for an all-conference season, while junior corner De'Vante Harris continues to grow as a player. The safeties -- Howard Matthews, Floyd Raven and Clay Honeycutt -- must show improvement this season after last year's performance. The nickel position is open and a number of candidates could step in, including sophomore Noel Ellis or junior Devonta Burns.

11. Missouri: Much of the attention has been paid to reloading on the defensive line after the departures of Kony Ealy and Michael Sam, but Missouri should be fine there. The real concern, however, is the secondary, as three of last year’s starters (E.J. Gaines, Randy Ponder and Matt White) are gone. Getting Braylon Webb back at safety is huge, but he’ll need help. Ian Simon and Duron Singleton should vie for the second safety spot, and John Gibson and Aarion Penton are two of the more experienced options at corner. The wild card in all of this, though, is an incoming class that featured seven defensive backs.

12. Kentucky: With two of the better pass rushers in the league, one would think that Kentucky could force the opposing quarterback into throwing some interceptions. That didn’t happen last season. The Wildcats were dead last in the SEC with just three interceptions. Mark Stoops and his staff are hoping to turn that around this season, and they have plenty of capable bodies to work with on the back end. All four starters are back, five if you include nickel back Blake McClain -- who was third on the team in tackles as a freshman -- and junior college transfer A.J. Stamps might be the most talented defensive back on the roster.

13. Arkansas: Depth is going to be a concern for new secondary coach Clay Jennings, who is stressing turnovers this spring after the Razorbacks came in dead last in that category in the SEC in 2013. But in terms of front-line starters, he’s got some experience to work with, as every projected starter at safety and corner is a junior or senior. The most reliable of the bunch is safety Alan Turner, who led the team in tackles last season and should continue to play a pivotal role on defense. Another one to watch is cornerback Tevin Mitchell. It wasn’t that long ago that the 6-foot senior was an SEC All-Freshman selection. For Arkansas to take the next step, he’ll need to fulfill the early promise of his career.

14. Vanderbilt: The Commodores were spoiled last season with four seniors starting in the secondary. You don’t replace the talent and experience of an Andre Hal and a Kenny Ladler overnight. And you certainly will have a hard time doing so when the entire coaching staff has changed. But such is new head coach Derek Mason’s task. The good news for him is that the cupboard wasn’t left entirely bare as the entire second string of the secondary -- Paris Head, Jahmel McIntosh, Andrew Williamson and Torren McGaster -- returns after having played in a combined 50 games last season.

The SEC bowl season kicked off Monday with a win by Ole Miss in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl. The league will now play five bowl games over the next two days so get caught up with the latest news and notes in the last lunch links of 2013.

Freshman defensive end Carl Lawson, ranked No. 2 in the ESPN300, came to Auburn with high expectations. It’s taken time to adjust to the level of play in the SEC, but he’s playing beyond his years for this AU defense.

The Georgia coaching staff has dealt with plenty of injuries this season, especially at running back and wide receiver, but the coaches continue to mentor the available players and get the most out of them.

Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin is a bona fide star in the coaching profession, but his rise to prominence did not come without some bumps along the way.

On Monday, we gave you guys our All-SEC first team. Today, we thought we'd unveil our second team for 2013. There are so many guys in this league who deserve recognition that we just wouldn't feel good about not having another team to give props to during the holiday season: